


Mind's Not Made | Joshler

by psychology_of_lethe



Series: Dark Eye Trilogy [1]
Category: Brallon - Fandom, Twenty One Pilots, joshler - Fandom
Genre: First Person, Intense, Josh POV, M/M, Multi, Supernatural - Freeform, abilities, powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-13 23:20:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16028102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychology_of_lethe/pseuds/psychology_of_lethe
Summary: In a world where powers are born out of traumatic experiences, Joshua Dun has always been out of the ordinary. With the ability to control pure forms of energy, he is suddenly whisked away into a civil war between people with abilities and “regular” people forming underneath his very eyes. Guided by Tyler Joseph, a man who shares an instant bond with him, and others in a crew of “Potential Holders”, Josh will have to decide which side he stands on- and if he wants to lead a future that his new friends can live in without being hunted down to use as an experiment, or if everything he’s ever known will crumble beneath him.





	1. Prologue

_      Once upon a time, there was a boy. _

_      A boy who wanted the same thing every little boy wants: Candy, ice cream, action figures that he can play with, and friends that he could share those action figures with. _

_      He wanted this more than anything else in the world. _

_      But, fate would not give it to him. _

_ This boy was born with an ability, a terrible ability that was only heard of in stories told by the parents that were supposed to protect him. The boy could harness pure energy- but the energy also harnessed him. Because the boy was never allowed out of his room, he could never control the energy.  _

_ It was large, bright, and white, the energy flowing out of him and standing above his head with an elegance unlike any other. In a way, the energy came out almost like two limbs that were just out of reach. The limbs reacted to whatever emotion he was feeling; in the morning, he would wake up, groggy and his mind not working, as soon as he woke up and felt anything, whether it was sadness, boredom, or pure loneliness- a feeling that he was familiar with- they would pop out.  _

_      This boy was a monster, his parents said. _

_ For years, he was trapped in his own bedroom, growing older and older and older. On his tenth birthday, the boy tried running away, only to get down the street and be picked up by his father. He was yelled at, he was tied up, and put into the corner as a result. He was told that he was to never leave the house again, and that he should feel lucky that his parents were letting him live in the first place. _

_ He was something that shouldn’t have existed; a human with the abilities of a demon, a supernatural horror, something from the biblical stories that he was told about every night.  _

_ In his teenage years, he became more and more depressed. He stopped touching the food that was given to him, so kindly by his parents; he would stare out the open, barred window and watch people his age hanging out, watch little kids running around the streets, and he yearned for that. _

_      The only joy the boy ever got was when his parents left the house.  _

_      Then, the boy could make as much noise as he wanted. _

_ He discovered a beautiful power of his own, something so mundane that anyone normal would scoff at his obsession. He discovered rhythms, beats, the sounds he could make when he hit something. He discovered what many children had known for years: the joys of creating your own music. _

_ When his parents would leave for work, the boy- now almost a man- would bring out anything he had in his room that could possibly make noise. Books, clothes hangers, dressers, even his own shoes- he used it all. The mattress of his bed was the main instrument- the books and dressers were what he used to create an amazing sound. With a clothes hanger as his drumstick, the man would slam it against the rough surface of the dressers, his energy pulsating inside of him. It gave him hope; that one day, he might escape the prison known as home and be able to share his beautiful gift with others. Sometimes, the energy seemed to play the beat with him. Vibrations would travel through his body and around the room, gently shaking any of his prized possessions that he was lucky enough to convince his parents to let him have. _

_      Everything would change when the man turned twenty, though, for all prisoners eventually get their freedom, even if it meant death. _

_      And luckily for Joshua Dun, death would not be taking him that day. _


	2. The Day it All Changed

     I had gotten used to the weight on my back.

Usually, people would freak out if they felt giant limbs on their back, swooshing and moving around without a care in the world. It used to freak me out, honestly, and I wish I could control them better. If I had to guess, they were probably half the size that I was on a good day, looking as if they were trying to intimidate a squid’s tentacle. On a bad day, they were larger than I was and it took me a while to summon the strength to even move. 

     Today was a good day.

My life was scheduled down to the very millisecond- wake up. Open your eyes. Think about something. Feel the energy seeping out of you. Go to the door and grab the breakfast your parents so kindly gave you. Wait for them to leave while stretching out my body and exercising.

     Then spend the rest of the day drumming.

It had taken me awhile to figure out what drumming was- for me, it had always just been banging whatever I could get ahold of to create a rhythm. I learned about drumming mostly from listening to children running back and forth on my street. One time, they stopped by the tree near my house, and I could remember the exact conversation that the two, young boys had in front of me.

     “Dude! That song has such a  _ sick  _ drum beat!” One of the children, a red head exclaimed, his bright green eyes sparkling with an innocence I never had the pleasure of possessing.

     “ _ I know,  _ right?! It’s a headbanger!”   


I heard a lot of music from the two boys. The older male, an African American with hair as black as night, possessed a device that he called a phone. Through that, I learned about the different kinds of music in the world. Pop music (which the boys seemed to despise immensely), rap, and my personal favorite, something that the children seemed to enjoy as much as I did:   


     Rock.

Classic rock and roll, is what they called it. Though I didn’t know the artists and I could never hear what they called the songs, the rhythm and beat of the music seemed to call to me. Every time I would hear a  _ sick  _ guitar solo, or the sound of one of the singers screaming out their notes, the energy on my back vibrated pleasantly. It was like a call to me, like an urge to create the same kind of music for other people. I knew that, one day, I would do something like that. If I could only control my power, if I could pretend to be  _ normal, _ I might one day be able to do the same thing as the mysterious musicians I had grown to love.

I only knew it was my birthday because my father slid a piece of dry, chocolate cake into the room before slamming the door shut. I received chocolate cake once a year, when my parents were nice enough to  _ pity  _ me. I had siblings who had tried giving me some sweets beforehand. Jordan, my younger sibling, talked to me through the door a lot. I was not allowed to see them face to face, because my parents did not want the “devil” to spread to and corrupt their perfectly innocent children. That didn’t mean that they listened, however- more than once, Jordan, my younger brother,  had snuck into my room late at night and talked to me, even touched the energy. He said that it felt hot and cold, all at once, and seemed to vibrate. I only felt the vibrations when I was extremely happy. 

I listened to the sounds of my parents getting ready for work. I heard my mother kissing my brother, wishing him good luck at school. I heard the sounds of my father letting out a low laugh that sounded like gravel rubbing together. I heard my name being mentioned, heard the disgust in my mother’s- if you could call her that- voice, and then I heard the front door close. I moved over to the window and watched as my parents left in their shiny, 2017 model cars. Then I heard someone beginning to walk towards my door. 

     “Happy 20th birthday, Josh.” Jordan whispered through the door, his nervous voice shaking slightly. Even the simplest conversation made my parents mad, and since they were extremely controlling and had threatened- more than once- to send Jordan to a military school for attempting to talk to me, Jordan was always scared to start a conversation with me.

     “Thanks, bud. Make sure to celebrate it for me, okay?” I whispered back to him, a slight smile on my face as I tried to imagine what facial expression he was holding. It had been a few months since Jordan had been able to successfully sneak his way into the room, and despite my attempts, the image of his face in my mind got blurrier and blurrier as the days passed.

     “You got it.” He whispered back, going quiet for a moment. After a few seconds, I could hear him sucking in a breath, before he began to speak again. 

     “I’m going to get you out of here, soon, Josh. I’ve been… hearing rumors, about a group of people who share powers like you do. And… they’ve been looking for people to rescue. It took me a while, to sneak into their bar, but I told them. I told them about you, how you’ve been trapped your whole life- and they’re going to rescue you.” He whispered, his voice quick and stumbling over his words as if desperate to get it out before our parents could overhear him.

     I froze. 

     “Powers? What kind of powers? And how are they going to rescue me? Jordan- Jordan!” I exclaimed, just as desperate as him. I had never been outside for a long period of time, and honestly, I had no idea how someone was going to  _ rescue  _ me. It was all I had known, my whole life. It was normal to be treated this way, normal to be locked away… and a group of strangers I had never heard of before were going to rescue me?

     I was met with silence. That either meant one of two things:

     Either my parents were home and Jordan was moving away from my door before he got into trouble, or Jordan was  _ serious  _ about someone “rescuing” me.

     Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  
At first, it sounded like a loud banging, like someone was loudly knocking on the dark brown, oak door that had kept me imprisoned my whole life. I heard a shout from Jordan, the sounds of someone running into the house, and my brother letting out a scream. Instantly, I could feel my heart jumping in my chest, a wave of anxiety practically splashing onto my face. For once, I felt the energy vibrating behind me, and instantly, I started to panic. Sure, I was scared out of my mind, but I didn’t want to murder someone! The limbs on my back always acted out of their own accord. When I had just turned ten, my father had went to smack me across my face. He never got close; it was like a reflex. One second, I was cowering in the corner, my body trembling, and the next, I could feel the bright white branches vibrating as they held him against the wall and choked him out.

After that, I had been treated like an animal. My parents gave me the food that went past the expiration date; every Sunday, I would listen to recordings of church service from outside my door, and be told by my mother how grateful I should be that I was alive at all, that God must have found a little pity for me and let me experience life before I was sent to burn in hell for my mistakes.

Suddenly, I snapped out of my thoughts. My eyes widened as I heard someone nearing the door, glancing around.  _ No,  _ I wouldn’t let myself attack another person. Not today, not ever. 

I looked around the boring, white walls of my room, desperate for somewhere to hide. I glanced at the small desk I had owned since I was a child and quickly headed over to it. I knew I couldn’t climb into the desk that could fit, at most, a sixth grader, but I didn’t need to. I grabbed the desk and carried it over to the door, pushing it against it just as the doorknob began to rattle and turn.

I backed up and got onto my bed, wrapping my arms around my knees. I had tried figuring out ways to control myself to no avail; even now, I was trying to curl myself up into a sitting up ball, believing that, maybe if I take up as little space as possible, they wouldn’t react the way they normally did.

     The door opened.

     I sucked in a breath.

     Standing in the doorway, was the most beautiful man- no,  _ god, _ I had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, my name is Lethe and I'm so excited to be sharing my story with you guys! I've been working on this story for a week or so now, and I've got a lot planned out for you guys. Thank you for reading my story so far. I'll be making a twitter soon, so you can contact me and offer any suggestions/comments on the story! Let me know if you guys like where the story is going! Thanks, you cool beans!
> 
>  
> 
> ~Lethe~


	3. Blind Trust

     The best way I could describe him?

He looked slender, like he could be knocked over by the slightest gust of wind. He had dark, shaved hair and big, brown eyes that could send a motherly instinct through anyone. He had dark eyebrows that framed his frame, and honestly, if he hadn’t started speaking in that moment, I would’ve stared at him for as long as he was in the room.

     “Hey there.” The male greeted, his voice soft and light, like a soothing musical note that made you want to relax and follow whatever they said, no matter how dangerous it might be.

     “H-Hey.” I stumbled out, my voice practically tripping over itself as I couldn’t help but cringe slightly.

For a few seconds, nothing but awkward silence filled the room. It was like a hot air balloon, progressively growing larger and larger with the fires of anxiety and insecurity. He caught my gaze and I felt our eyes locking. For a few seconds, it was if I couldn’t physically tear my eyes away from his; but if I had the choice, I wouldn’t have looked away from his gorgeous eyes at all.

     “Well,” The male began, a smile appearing on his face as a little laugh left him, “Are you just going to stand here, or should we head out, Josh?”   
     “What?” I finally asked, looking at him as if he was insane. “I- I don’t even know your name and you want me to  _ leave  _ with you? Is- Isn’t it a little too early in the relationship?” I tried to crack a joke to hide the nerves that were trying to crawl out.

Oddly enough, the limbs on my back were still, as if they were being held back with chains. I looked behind me, and visibly tensed up when I realized that they  _ were  _ chained back, held against themselves with a transparent, silver chain that shimmered and tightened whenever the energy would try to fight against it.

“I thought I could try and keep my name a secret, you know, make this more of an adventure for you?” His voice brought me back to reality, looking back at him. He seemed to see the question in my eyes, because as I went to open up my mouth, he continued. “The chains will go away when it’s safe. Promise. Just don’t want to end the adventure this soon, then it’d be boring and no one would want to hear about it.”

     Despite my nerves, I couldn’t help but smile.

     “Tyler Joseph.” He suddenly introduced himself, moving over and offering his hand out to me. I hesitated for a few seconds, looking up at him before I slowly reached forward and shook his hand. My anxiety had practically shot through the roof, and though I tried to stop it, I could feel my hand shaking in his grip. For a few seconds, I saw an emotion flash across Tyler’s face- was it anxiety similar to mine?- before he pulled away and let go of my hand.

     “It’d be  _ fun  _ to stay here and talk with you, but you know where it’d be even better? At my friend’s bar, where you wouldn’t be stuck in this room. You don’t have to be afraid anymore, Josh. I know this is crazy, but you should trust me. Besides, believe it or not, I  _ have  _ a way for you to learn how to control your power! Isn’t that sick?” Tyler went on, and it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out he was saying whatever he could to get me to leave with him.

Still, I was intrigued. Control the powers I had been held back by my whole life? Potentially be free of the-  _ literal _ \- weight on my back, be able to live out my life as if I was normal? I would sell my soul for the opportunity.

I nodded my head, watching him leave the room. After a few seconds of the door remaining open, I went to move forward, but found myself frozen. I had never been able to leave the room out of my own accord before. It felt weird, like I was breaking some sacred law and that protesters from all over the world would line up outside the door, screaming  _ Criminal!  _ Yet, as I slowly stepped out of the room, the only sound I heard was the door creaking shut behind me, practically echoing shut in my ears. I couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Tyler grabbed onto my hand and began to lead me outside. I looked behind me and saw Jordan, his eyes sparkling as he gave me a semi-awkward thumbs up. I grinned back at him, trying to hide my nerves and honest fear as I looked towards the door.

     “Don’t worry, Josh!” I heard Jordan call out, his own voice seeming to quiver with the happiness of what he had done for me, “I’ll come visit you as soon as I can!”   
The exit to the house opened, and for once, it wasn’t guarded by my parents or being held right out of my grip by something I had been desperately trying to grab all my life.

      “Welcome-” Tyler began as he opened up the front door and pulled me out, my eyes squinting as I was filled with the awe of getting fresh air,

      “-to the rest of your life.”


	4. The Car Isn't the Only Thing Hot

I was led into a black SUV with darkened windows, mumbling a little “Thanks” as Tyler opened up the passenger door for me. I got into the car and hesitated- though I had seen cars all of my life, I had never actually  _ been  _ in one before. I slowly got into the car and looked as Tyler closed the door, sitting there for a few moments. The limbs on my back had seemed to shrink down into little spiked-shapes onto my shoulders, still chained together by what I assumed to be shrinked down chains, and I was grateful that the jacket I had always worn made it looked as if the cloth on my shoulders was just baggy.

Tyler got into the car and closed the door. I felt the vibrations of the car as he turned it on, and I waited for the car to start moving- except it didn’t.

I found Tyler looking at me with a smile on his face, the sides of his mouth quirking up slightly. I immediately felt a wave of embarrassment flood through me- for what, I didn’t exactly know.

     “Seat belt?” Tyler suddenly pointed out, cocking an eyebrow at me. I heard him starting to laugh as I stared at him blankly, my facial expression just as lost as I felt.

     “You’ve never been in a car before, have you?” 

Tyler suddenly unbuckled himself and moved towards me, his hand brushing against my chest. Instantly, my face was suddenly hot, my mouth drying up as his fingers gently brushed against my side. I felt my heart beginning to race in my chest, and I swear the car suddenly felt a hundred degrees hotter.

I watched him grab a leather strap, catching his eyes and feeling my face practically burning off of my body as he flashed a little grin. He brought the seatbelt over my lap and fastened it, looking up at me as the sound of a  _ click _ went through the car.

     “Think you can handle that next time?” Tyler asked, his voice ending in a teasing tone as I dumbly nodded.

     If this was how the day was going to go, I was going to end up in a hot, liquid mess by the time the sun set.

We drove without conversation for twenty minutes. Tyler tried to get me to talk, but after realizing that I was too distracted by the world that I had never gotten to see this close before, he gave up. I watched him moved his fingers over to the box in the middle of the car, being able to tell by the way he was twitching that he was  _ not  _ comfortable with silence. That made me smile slightly. Of course, I had known silence all my life, and in some ways, I welcomed it like an old friend. He looked at me as he hesitated for a few seconds, before he pressed a button.

Instantly, I straightened up as the sound of my old, comforting friend, came through the box. The music surrounded me, practically comforted me in its grip, the relaxing drum beats instantly causing the energy on my shoulder to vibrate.

     “Woah,” Tyler suddenly breathed out in amazement, stopping the car as we hit a red light. He was looking at me, and for a second, I was confused on what he was finding so awe inspiring, then I looked down at my shoulders. My eyes widened as I saw light pulsating through the cloth, and honestly, I didn’t know how to react. I had always just thought that the limbs vibrated when I heard music, but apparently, I was a walking light show.

     “...Yeah.” I couldn’t help but murmur in my own form of amazement, like I was finding out more about myself simply by being let go of the chains of my parents. For a second, my mind flashed back to Jordan, and I felt concern filling my stomach and leaving a heavy presence there. What would happen to my brother when it was discovered that I was gone? Would they accuse Jordan, punish him for releasing the “Devil’s influence” into the world? Or would they be grateful to have been released of such a heavy burden? Even now, I knew that I would not be missed by my parents.

Suddenly, I felt my shoulder gently being touched. I jumped, not used to the feeling of someone’s body against mine, and looked over as Tyler suddenly began to laugh.

     “You must be really deep into thought. Mind sharing your  _ sick  _ thoughts?” Tyler asked me, trying to get me to laugh.

     And I did. 

I sighed as I looked at him, a warm smile on my face before I looked down at my hands as Tyler started to drive again.

“I don’t know how I’m going to- to do this.” I suddenly murmured as my eyes flickered over to Tyler, watching him flutter his girlish eyelashes before I continued as he nodded his head, “I, I haven’t been outside of my house in ages. I… I’m not the best at communicating with people. I can’t control my power and.. Honestly? I’m.. kinda scared to be free like this.” I explained to him, ashamed of my own emotions and the reasoning behind my fear.

We were silent for a few moments, the comforting sound of music playing in the background and creating an atmosphere that I couldn’t help but relax into. I glanced at Tyler, and to my surprise, he was singing softly along with the music. His voice was that of an angel’s, experienced but pure, raw and full of emotions. In that moment, I knew.

     I knew we were going to be great friends.

     “I understand. People have used you and abused you your whole life.” Tyler suddenly spoke up, his eyes glancing over at mine before he spoke up. “I know this stuff doesn’t make sense to you, and it must be overwhelming for you to deal with at the moment. It was for me, too. But- trust me, when I say that you were given these powers for a  _ reason.  _ The small community of potential-holders like this… we were all blessed with divine powers for different reasons. We just have to find your reason… even if it is super lame.” Tyler finished, a little laugh leaving him before he looked back at the road.

I nodded my head to what he said, going quiet for another moment. I stared out the window at the flashes of green and blue that went past us as we drove, staring at the houses we passed in fascination. After a few seconds, I cleared my throat and decided to ask the question that had been weighing on me ever since Tyler first came into my room.

     “Hey, Tyler?”

     “Yeah, Josh?”   


I looked over at him and flashed a little smile.

     “Wha- What’s your power?”   


He smiled back at me.

     “Oh you know, it’s nothing… except I can go into people’s heads. I can feel what they’re feeling, hear what they’re thinking, and cause them to see and feel things that aren’t actually there.” He explained in a casual tone, winking at me as my cheeks turned a bright red in realization.

     Maybe staying locked up in my room was a better alternative than this.


	5. Bar Humor

     “We’re here,” Tyler announced as the car slowly stopped in front of a bricked building with a perfectly kept up lawn. The grass was a healthy green, and seemed to be  _ exactly  _ the perfect blade length, like someone had obsessed over every piece of grass being like the other. I stepped out of the car after barely remembering that I had to unbuckle myself to get out of it, closing the door behind me. I stared at the building and felt wind going through my brown, curly hair, my eyes flickering over to the sign in front of the bar.  _ The Supernova Pub.  _ I read, my eyes sparkling in amusement.

One of the privileges my parents had given me was being able to read. Their reasoning for my ability to read was simple: they wanted me to read the Bible and understand why I shouldn’t have existed, so that I could pray to God for mercy every night. Instead, Jordan would sneak me books from his school’s library every night. Besides drumming, it was the only comfort I had. Maybe it was the reason that I hadn’t gone insane yet from the isolation.

     Or maybe I was insane and just didn’t realize it.

I found myself squeezing Tyler’s hand as he grabbed onto my own, flashing him a smile that looked as unsure as I felt as we began to head towards the bar. I honestly had no idea what to expect… I had never even been in a bar before. Sure, I had read about them in stories, and knew that they served drinks, were the perfect place for relationship drama, and was supposed to be an entertaining place all around… but I realized, in the moment, how out of place I  _ had  _ to look.

Almost unconsciously, I pulled the gray hood over my head to hide my face, looking over at Tyler as he squeezed my hand. Instantly, I felt a little more relaxed… it was like Tyler knew exactly what to do to calm me down, and though it should’ve freaked me out, honestly, I was just glad someone was there for me and actually cared. I had  never known what it was like for someone to put my feelings before theirs. It was an odd feeling, like being shown the love of a mother after never knowing it your whole life.

     “Don’t worry,” Tyler murmured, his lips being close to my hooded ear as he led me through the tables of the bar, “We’re not staying up here. I can’t  _ stand _ the smell of alcohol anyways.”

I couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh.

We went past a set of tables and booths to a door in the side of the bar. At first, I was confused, thinking that maybe we were heading into a smaller room; but once we stepped through the dark oak doors, I quickly realized that the door hid two staircases. Practically blindly, I held onto Tyler’s hand as he led me down the stairs. Despite our silence, the room was filled with the sound of squeaky, creaky stairs and our descent down into the basement. Tyler took a key out of his black leggings and unlocked the dark brown door, throwing it open before he led me inside.

     “Brendon! Come here!”

  
     “FUCK YEAH! Did you get him? Oh my god, I’m so glad, I’ve been so fucking  _ bored  _ without anyone to train!” A fruity, modulated  voice practically sang out as a short male stood up from a couch.

Immediately, I felt anxiety enter me as the male suddenly  _ appeared  _ in front of me. I looked at him and studied his black, styled hair, looking into his brown eyes before I immediately looked away. I could immediately tell he was handsome, but of course, that’d be a little fact I’d keep to myself.

     “H..Hey-” I began, before my hand was suddenly grabbed by Brendon, who started shaking it firmly.

     “Josh, right? Fucking  _ hey!  _ My name is Brendon Urie. I heard you’ve got an uncontrollable power, huh?” The male asked me, laughing as I felt my face heating up. 

     How much did they  _ know  _ about me?

     “Uh… yeah, I guess you could say that-”

     “Don’t worry! I train everyone who joins our group when Tyler is busy. I’ve heard you’re going to be a bit of a challenge. I  _ like  _ challenges.” Brendon explained to me, winking with a full grin on his face. “I have two powers, just because I’m  _ oh so _ special: I can run really fucking fast and I’m like a real like opera singer, because I can crack  _ anything  _ open with my voice. Seriously. It’s kinda fucking scary.”

      My face must’ve shown how shocked and overwhelmed I was. 

     “Brendon, let’s  _ not  _ scare Josh back into his room yet.” Tyler suddenly laughed out, putting his hand on my shoulder as he looked at me. “We’re going to get you settled in this weekend. You can take the rest of the day to relax, ask any questions, or you know, talk to me- tomorrow, we’ll get you groomed and prepared for the training. You must be hungry?”

I slowly nodded my head, forcing myself to look at Tyler. I wasn’t sure if I was glad to be surrounded by people who were like me, or intimidated; honestly, I thought it was a bit of both. Brendon and Tyler were confident and seemed to know exactly how to control their powers and what they were; I had been locked in my room all my life, having been trained to think that my power was the scariest thing in the world and that I needed to fear myself.

     “Hey, Josh.” Tyler suddenly said my name, snapping me back to reality as I stared at him.

     “Yeah?”

  
     “Have you ever had Taco Bell before?”

     “...Like… just tacos? I’ve had tacos before-”

     “OH MY GOD. We need to educate him!” Brendon suddenly shouted, a bright, energized grin on his face as he suddenly grabbed onto my arm.

      I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the first time today I was educated on something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you all for the kudos! It's really awesome how much you guys seem to like this story. If you want updates or want to contact me, make sure to follow me on twitter: @Psych_Of_Lethe (edited: I forgot the _, sorry y'all!)
> 
> I'm really excited to see your guys' reactions to how the story goes! I love seeing comments and hearing from you guys, so don't be shy!
> 
> P.S, want to be an extra character in the story? P.M some basic information about your character (such as physical traits and your personality) and you might see yourself in the story!
> 
> Again, thanks for keeping up with the story! I promise the next chapter will be longer and answer any of the questions you might have about the story's plot line... for now. ;)
> 
> ~Lethe~


	6. A Glimpse of What's Right

That night seemed to pass by fast. Brendon, Tyler, and I went into Tyler’s SUV, drove to the nearest Taco Bell- which I discovered that Tyler practically held in a divine light- and yes, I ate tacos with them and laughed at their jokes. Tyler and Brendon seemed to be close, and in a way, I was already attached to them. Maybe it was because no one had ever treated me with the kindness they had, or maybe it was because they reminded me of the beloved heroes that I treasured in the rare books I was able to read. Either way, spending time with them got me through the night fast, and when Tyler led me to the guest bedroom that I could call my own room, I passed out.

I woke up the next day to the energy vibrating on my back pleasantly. Whatever Tyler had done to my back to keep my energy locked in place seemed to only work when Tyler was around: and for that, I was still grateful. For once, I was filled with a sensation of hope I had never felt beforehand. 

I slowly opened up the white, slightly chipped wooden door and peaked out, making sure that no one was in the living room. I glanced around, taking in every detail in the room, from the two leather couches in the middle, to the random paintings that were on the light blue walls. Above the bar was the owner’s apartment, where Tyler had told me I was allowed to stay as long as I wanted. Tyler had explained that the bar was owned by a couple and that I would meet them today… which worried me. 

Of course, it wasn’t the thought of meeting new people- though my anxiety did spike at the thought- no, it was the thought of how the energy on my back would react. I remembered Brendon telling me the previous night that he was going to train me, but I still had my doubts. For years, I had tried controlling it, doing every mental gymnastic possible. Since I had read so many books while being trapped in my own house, I had even tried stealing theories of powers from the authors. I tried changing my mindset to thinking of the power as an extension of my body, I tried imagining tying down and chaining the energy, hell, I practically tried using the force on it.

Slowly, I slipped out of the room, beginning to head to the bathroom where Tyler had previously shown me the other night. 

“I left you a razor and some basic necessities,” Tyler had explained as he opened up the door and gestured towards the little cardboard box full of soap, a razor, and tiny containers of shampoo and conditioner. “I’ll make sure you have clothes dropped off for you tomorrow.”

     Thinking about Tyler made my heart start pounding in my chest and made the room suddenly feel way too hot.

I shook my fantasties of Tyler out of my head and moved to the bathroom. After I stepped in and closed the door, I looked into the mirror, pausing slightly at the sight of myself. It had been ages since I looked into the mirror- and honestly, I didn’t look as terrible as I thought I would’ve. Though my hair was long, it wasn’t girly- one of the things my parents had hated more than anything was men growing out their hair. Once every month, I was given a short, uneven, rushed, and rough haircut. I reached up and ran my fingers through my soft, dark brown hair, looking into my worn eyes. I studied the dark circles and the eyebags on my face, looking down at my ungroomed facial hair as I cringed ever so slightly. 

     That would be the first thing I took care of.

It took me quite a while to shave without cutting myself. Though I had shaved myself before, it had been in rare instances when my parents were feeling a little bit of sympathy for me. By the time I was done, I actually looked like a presentable human and not someone who had been on the run for ages. I ran my fingers over my slightly stubble chin and left the bathroom.

Slowly, I walked out of the apartment and down the short staircase. I slid my hand down the wall, still struggling to come to terms with the fact that I was no longer a prisoner, that I could finally take control of my own life.

     But could I  _ really  _ control my own life?

I let out a sigh as I headed to the bar doors, assuming that was where Tyler was. Before I could push open the doors and make my way into it, I felt my arm suddenly grabbed. A rush of panic immediately filled me as I felt the limbs on my back moving, trying to scream out a warning for them to back up, so I didn’t hurt them, so I didn’t already ruin the freedom I was so close to grabbing-

I was suddenly shoved against the wall.

I let out a choked noise of surprise as I blinked, looking up at a male holding me against the wall. He was taller than I was, with brown hair parted to the side and dark, hooded eyes that could instantly make even the most hostile of strangers feel bad for him. Even the limbs on my back were frozen, the paralyzing fear and awe in my chest having sunk its way into the energy.

     “Hey. You can’t go in there. We serve regulars at the bar, too.” The male suddenly warned me in his low voice, his hand against my chest. I quickly nodded, swallowing a dry lump in my throat before I spoke up to try and get him off of me.

     “What? You think I’m-  _ not  _ normal?” 

He suddenly moved off of me, putting a hand over his mouth to hide the smile that was starting to grow on his pale face. Now that I wasn’t blinded by fear, I could see a long, faded scar stretching across his cheek, as if this man had seen the adventures that I had only dreamed of face to face- and  _ won.  _

     “Tyler is waiting for you in the basement. I wouldn’t keep him waiting.” The male suddenly explained, knocking me out of my thoughts as he strutted over to the bar doors.

     “W-Wait!” I suddenly exclaimed, staring at him as my heart pounded in my chest. “What’s your name?” I called out despite knowing that the male might not give the answer to me. Even I could tell that he was mysterious, that he blended in with the shadows and whispered his secrets into the dark that only the night and creatures like it could hear.

     “I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.”

He slipped into the bar and left my mind overwhelmed with more questions than I had started with. How had he snuck up on me like that? How had he managed to shock me so much that even my energy hadn’t wanted to go near him? I shook my head to try and snap myself out of it. Slowly, I walked to the basement stairs on the opposite side of the apartment stairs and moved down. I slipped through the entryway 

     “Hey-” I began, glancing around before I spotted Tyler and Brendon on the leather couches. I began to move forward, sitting down on the leather loveseat in front of them as I nervously bit on my bottom lip. “...So… I ran into some g-”

     “Dallon.” Brendon almost immediately answered, staring at me with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. I opened up my mouth to start asking more questions, only stopping as Brendon put up his finger to silence me. “Dallon, like me, has two abilities. Dallon can see into the future, and Dallon has the ability to control shadows. He says that there’s something odd about you, so he’s having a bitch fit about you being here right now.” Brendon explained, rolling his eyes.

     My heart immediately dropped in my chest.

A problem? With me? I had no idea what the problem could’ve been. There was no way that the male actually thought I was a threat- I wasn’t the threat, my energy was- and I hadn’t even met him before this. I looked down at the floor, trying to think of what could possibly have gone wrong before Tyler snapped his fingers in front of my face.

     “Don’t worry about that right now.” Tyler assured me softly, a playful look on his face. “Dallon can see the future and the alternative future… it makes it really difficult for him to figure out which will actually happen. It’s, it’s kinda a sucky power.” Tyler joked around, an adorable smile appearing on his face.

Then he dropped his smile.

     “You’re probably wondering why we rescued you in the first place, or what’s been going on.” Tyler explained, suddenly holding a level of seriousness I didn’t know that Tyler could have. “There’s a civil war forming between people who have powers- who the government calls Potential Holders- and then regular people.”   
“So,” Brendon suddenly took over from Tyler, my eyes flickering over to the male as he sat up slightly, “We have a theory that these abilities form because of trauma experienced in life. Unfortunately, the government seems to fucking know this, too. Our fuckwit president- _god,_ I wish somebody would just get rid of him already- and his government wants to take control of people with powers- and either experiment on them to see how much their bodies can handle, or enslave them based on their ability.”

I completely froze, my mind flashing back to the years I had spent locked up in my own room.

     “The government,” Brendon continued, putting up a finger to silence the questions that were practically popping out of my face, “has been making shows that show people with powers in any good light illegal. They’ve banned comic books, books that deal with supernatural abilities, hell, they’ve even started talking down social media posts discussing books and comics. They’re pushing an agenda that we’re horrible people and they’re going to use that to turn the public against us.”

     Tyler cleared his throat, putting his hand out to stop Brendon from talking before he continued. “I’ve had a large list of- well,  _ potential  _ potential holders-” Tyler began, cracking a little smile at his own joke before he continued, “but people have started disappearing. They’ve got missing, their very presence has been wiped from social media- which tells me the government is starting to move,  _ now.  _ I have… multiple safe havens for people like us, Josh, and I’m not going to let them turn us into slaves and repeat history.” Tyler explained, a fire in his eyes that I had never seen. 

     “...Why… why haven’t we fought back before?” I asked him in confusion.

     “Because we didn’t have the resources, and back then, it was just a  _ theory.  _ But now that we know this isn’t a game, we have to start acting now.” Tyler told me in a passionate voice, the kind of voice that would make anyone follow him to the pits of hell and back. “It’s why I started this group. I want to protect people like me from people like  _ them  _ who don’t understand us, who don’t know what we’ve been through, who look at us with pity and think that we aren’t capable of anything because of the trauma we’ve been through.”

Horror slowly creeped up on me as I tried to imagine what it would be like: being chained to the ground, screaming out in pain, watching as scientists injected me with dangerous chemicals just to see how I might react… and instantly, I felt an emotion that was unfamiliar to me, something that made me want to jump up and slam my fist against the wall, something that made the uncontrollable energy on my back start moving towards Tyler.

     “JOSH-”

I blinked as I froze, slowly looking up. The white, almost blinding energy suddenly stopped in front of the two men, the ends of it curling like a strand of carefully styled hair. I felt the strange, almost obsessive emotion slowly drain out of my body, staring up at the energy. I sucked in a few breaths, trying to remain calm despite how my heart was thumping in my chest, how  I couldn’t think about anything else besides the fact that I couldn’t control the energy.

     Tyler and Brendon weren’t monsters, but I  _ still  _ was. 

The chains appeared back on the energy, wincing ever so slightly as the energy was suddenly pushed back to where it belonged: right above my head.

     “...So, Josh.” Brendon began, clearing his throat to try and get rid of the awkward silence that had filled the room. “...Are you in? If you aren’t, we can send you to one of the safe havens and you can help there- but we need fighters. We need people who can do damage when they need to.”

      I thought back to when Tyler had first discovered me.

  
_      “No, I wouldn’t let myself attack another person. Not today, not ever.” _

      “...If…” I began softly, hesitating in my answer before I slowly looked up at Brendon and Tyler, trying to fake how confident I was despite the fact that I was filled with crippling anxiety. “If another person tried attacking someone I loved… or something I stood up for… I would attack. B-But- that’s the  _ only  _ reason why.”

Brendon smiled.

     “Welcome to the team, bud.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading! Sorry about the inconsistent upload schedule, I haven't really decided when I should upload chapters. If you want to keep up to date with the story or simply follow stuff I do, you can follow my twitter at: @psych_of_lethe ! Really appreciate all of the feedback.
> 
> ~Lethe~


	7. Heart Beats Fast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Talk of Attempted Suicide and Depression

I stood up to leave, my mind racing with the information I had just been given. The government was trying to start another era of slavery, one of the members of Tyler’s group hated me and didn’t like that I was in the group, and now Brendon was going to train me to become a soldier. I was excited, yet full of anxiety at the same time: the idea of hurting another person made me tense up and made me want to hide, but I knew that, if I wanted to keep myself and the people who had been kind enough to free me out of slavery, I had to do something.

I suddenly stopped as I felt Brendon’s hand on my shoulder.

     “Sorry about Dallon. My boyfriend can be really fucking bitchy at some points.” Brendon laughed out, snorting as he saw my face turning a bright red.

     “You’re with- him--?” 

     “Yeah. I know right? He’s so  _ emo,  _ god. He’d look like he was in a band if he just put on some eyeliner and a steampunk outfit. Crazy, right?” Brendon snorted out in amusement, his eyes sparkling before he stood up. “I’m going to head upstairs. Just bother Tyler if you need me.”

After watching him leave, I looked over at Tyler, who had been silently sitting on the couch. I opened up my mouth to speak, wondering if I had somehow upset Tyler by not being able to control my powers, before he beat me to the chase.

     “Josh,” Tyler began, his eyes trained down to the floor as if he was staring at the most interesting thing in the world, “What do you think happened to me?”

I froze, staring at Tyler as I opened and closed my mouth. I only had ideas of what could have happened to Tyler. If their theory was right, some kind of trauma must have happened to Tyler. What, though, I couldn’t possibly imagine: Tyler was too nice, too innocent, hell, in my mind, Tyler couldn’t even hurt a fly… so what could have happened to make him have the ability to mess with other people’s brains? Luckily, I didn’t have to answer.

     “My parents… wanted me to be the very best. They had my future planned out for me. I was going to go to college for basketball and then become a professional basketball player. My father was the principal of my school, and my mother was a stay at home mom who believed that God was going to gift me with powers. They would make me shoot five hundred baskets every night before I could go in and have dinner.” Tyler explained, his eyes not leaving the ground. Slowly, I sat down on the couch next to him, hoping that my face looked as horrified as I currently felt. Tyler looked over at me, a ghost of a grim smile on his face as he shook his head. “Don’t feel pity for me. Pity is something dangerous. It’s one of the reasons why we’re here today.” He suddenly told me, his eyes narrowing down slightly as he straightened up.

     “We’re stuck like this because the world pities us. They’ve seen what we’ve been through and think that we’re weak, that we’re closed minded, that we’ll never go anywhere in life unless we have special accommodations. They don’t realize that we’re stronger than they will  _ ever  _ be.” Tyler snapped out, his eyes burning with a bright fire of passion, a passion that could burn down everything and anything that stood in his way and make the strongest of people crumble below him.

     “I got depressed. I got  _ so  _ depressed. I was doing all of this, but  _ why?  _ Why should I have to do something that I had no heart in? Sure, I was good. And- I don’t admit this a lot- but I’m  _ very  _ competitive. I have to win everything. But… this wasn’t something I wanted to win. My grades started going down, my parents started punishing me, and I gave up hope that I would ever have control of my own life.” Tyler explained, his voice getting quieter as he looked off into the distance, as if reliving each and every painful memory as he spoke up.

     “...What… what happened next?” I asked quietly, my heart thumping against my chest. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the answer on what happened next, but Tyler was staring at the ground so intensely, I knew that he needed me to ask.

     “I tried committing suicide.” Tyler whispered in a raw voice, his voice shaking with every calculated breath that he drew in and out, in and out. “I remember that night so vividly, you know. I dream of it every night. Sometimes I wake up in a sweat. I remember… I grabbed a steak knife from the kitchen and walked up to my room. I remember sitting on my bed, and god- my body was shaking. I couldn’t control anything, I couldn’t even control myself… and you know what?” Tyler asked, a bitter smile on his face as he looked at me for the first time. 

     “That was when I discovered my powers. I don’t know what happened, but… it was like a  _ switch.  _ I was suddenly in my mom’s mind. I could hear her every thought, I could feel her emotions- and I don’t know, I  _ freaked  _ out. I couldn’t control what was happening, and I imagined that I was trying to pull myself out of her brain- and she started screaming…” Tyler trailed off, his voice going quiet as he suddenly brought his knees up to his chest.

I didn’t realize what I was doing until I had already done it. My arms were wrapped around Tyler, slowly beginning to rock him back and forth. I felt my heart ripping apart in my chest, and I wanted to do anything to protect Tyler. I wanted to hold him close, coo in his ear, get him to calm down and gently pick apart the bad memories in Tyler’s head.

Tyler drew in another breath, resting his head against my chest before he spoke up. “It was my senior year. I graduated and… I left my number with my brother, but I completely dipped from my parents after that. I took everything I owned and… I don’t know. I ran. I didn’t know where I was going, I only knew that I couldn’t stay with my parents. I… the first few weeks, I figured out how to make people see things that weren’t there. I stole, I- gosh, I made cashiers see that I was giving them money… I was pretty low. It wasn’t until I met Patrick that I started feeling better.”

     "Patrick?” I asked quietly, not only to show that I was paying attention, but so that I could learn about the bar owner before I actually met him.

     “Patrick Stump.” Tyler explained, a little smile being on his face as he couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh. “Probably one of the most scary, nicest guys I’ve ever met. Patrick has the power of telekinesis… and he’s the most in control of his power I ever met. He found me buying supplies off of a woman at Dollar General, watched me pay her with nothing and give me change that I didn’t actually deserve. He followed me to an alleyway and cornered me. He doesn’t look scary… he looks like a teddy bear, but… in that moment, I was scared for my life. I ended up spilling everything to him, telling him all of the experiences I had been through, how long I had been truly on my  _ own  _ like this… and he took me in to his bar. I was only eighteen at the time, so I really shouldn’t have been in the bar in the first place… but he made it work.”

Tyler and I sat in a peaceful silence for a few moments as I went over the details of his story. Tyler had once been like me… alone, scared, doing whatever he could to survive. Though I had been isolated all of my life, I couldn’t help but feel as if I had went through everything that Tyler had described. Though the tentacles on my back were chained, they were resting at my back, almost as attentive to the story as I was.

     Slowly, I reached forward, placing a gentle hand onto Tyler’s shoulder as I looked up into his eyes.

     “...I’m… I’m sorry, you had to go through all of that.” I apologized quietly, flashing him a hesitant smile as he met my eyes. “I can’t even… understand what it must have been like, for you to go through that. I… I really respect you, for doing all of this.” I tried to explain, my heart hammering against my chest as I bit on my bottom lip. I was suddenly all too aware of how close we were, how silent we had suddenly gotten, how a tingling had spread through my back and slowly trailed down my arms, like a river leaking down into an ocean that was uncontrollable, yet calm all at once. 

     I had read about kisses before, about stories of knights falling in love with princesses, of men rescuing women and being rewarded with their hand in marriage. I had read stories of love saving the world, of how love was strong enough that it could defeat any foe and still remain strong in the end. Despite all of these stories I had read, that I had kept by my side as my only companion in the twenty years of my life, I had never read a story about two men being in love.

     Yet, it made more sense to me than anything when I was around Tyler.

     “T-Tyler-” I breathed out quietly as I saw Tyler moving closer to me, saw a look in his eyes that I could only describe as pure need. He looked at me as if I were water, as if he was in the desert and I was the first sighting of water that he had found in years. I completely froze my body as he wrapped his arms around my neck, as his eyes fluttered shut and he moved to press his lips against mine-

     That was when the basement door suddenly slammed open.

     “Sorry, guys, I forgot my-” Brendon began before he froze at the position we were in. Tyler was practically on my  lap, his arms wrapped around my neck and his face as flustered as I felt.

     “....ooh....” Brendon trailed off, trying to hide the devious smirk that flashed across his face as he moved forward. He innocently whistled as he looked at Tyler and winked, moving over to the table in the middle of the loveseat and the couch. He grabbed his phone off of the table, looking in between us again before his eyes landed on me.

“Make sure to use a condom, Josh!”

Tyler quickly scrambled off of my body, clearing his throat as he watched Brendon walk away.

     I had never wanted to punch someone more my whole life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this chapter!
> 
> Again, you can follow me at @psych_of_lethe on Twitter if you want any updates or just want to see my (weird) comments from the day. Thanks for the views! 16 kudos already and 128 hits?! Are you kidding me? You guys are amazing!
> 
> I hope to see more people enjoying reading my story just as much as I enjoy writing it.
> 
> ~Lethe~


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